Spain Part 1: Barcelona

Palm trees, balmy breezes, pretty passersby.
Hot sidewalks, cold drinks. Long hair, short shorts.
Fans, frills and espadrilles.
Bold colors and clean lines.
Fluid movements and passionate pounces.

After four glorious days days in Barcelona I'm off to Mallorca, where the Spanish Royal Family spend their summer holidays and Claudia Schiffer, and an increasing number of German and English sun-seekers, come to unwind.

Beautiful Barcelona is a place I won't soon forget. Unlike Paris or London, the vibe is much more elusive but no less formidable. The city's emphasis on design is what really sets it apart. Everything is both more aesthetically pleasing and functional. In lieu of offensive steel garage doors blocking off storefronts after hours, Barca has pleasant, unassuming security gates. Collectively, the smallest details - from whimsical knot-shaped locks on public toilet stalls to split-three-ways poles in the centre of subway cars - make all the diffence.

Our hotel (OMM, right off the beautiful Paseo de Gracia, similar to Paris's Champs Elysees) was a shining example of this type of good design. Overall, it was sleek and stylish, packing a mean punch with its use of interesting materials and unexpected features.

Overlooking our room past the vine-laden balcony were large, interesting structures protruding from the grassy courtyard below. At dinner in the impressive eating area on the main floor, we realized those structures were mini skylights supplying much needed natural light to that section of the hotel. The hallways were also staggeringly different from anything I've seen back home. We were taken aback and then delighted by the pitch black hallways offset by pops of fluorescent lighting along the walls. For a second, we forgot we were in Spain as opposed to aboard Captain Picard's USS Stargazer...

My favorite feature of the hotel was its rooftop terrace and pool, complete with a sensational view of Gaudi's eccentric Casa Mila (better known as "La Pedrera"). The awe inspiring building, with its bold forms and undulating facade, is made entirely of natural stones. From our lounge chairs we were able to contemplate arguably the best part of the structure: the rooftop is made up of multiple chimneys that together resemble a sea of surrealistic sculptures.

Our last night there was spent sipping sangria and watching an exciting, passion-filled flamenco dancing spectacle at Palacio del Flamenco. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was glad to get a taste of authentic Spanish culture. The costumes were flashy and fabulous, and the feelings the performers emoted through their art was truly harrowing. As Ari eloquently put it, flamenco is like a one-of-a-kind mixture comprised of one part exorcism, one part mating ritual, and one part intimidation tactic. I absolutely loved it and am loving everything about this last leg of my trip.

LONDON, LUV

Pretty and punky.
Rain, tea and Queenie.
Top Shop and high tops.
Pounds and the underground, double decker buses and red telephone boxes.
Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and the London Eye.
Stockings, snogging, trees, trellises.
Beheadings and brick lanes.

London has been a "proper" good time! In only a few days, I've managed to see and enjoy a decent amount of the city. I literally haven't stopped. But the lack of sleep and fatigue are a fair price to pay for all I've gained from this special little jaunt.


My hotel (Princes Square Hotel in west London, near Notting Hill and Hyde Park) has been great -- convenient, central location close to the tube (Bayswater station) as well as plenty of shops and restaurants. The former Victorian home has been newly updated with a fresh coat of modernity and surprisingly comfortable (the old pics, as shown online, make it look pretty tatty).

I'm writing this at 7am Saturday morning, from the Tarmac at London City Airport on my way to Barcelona.  The weather is supposed to be divine and after 3 weeks of more or less incessant rain, I couldn't be more excited for a decent dose of vitamin D.

Here are my thoughts on the places I visited in lush, leafy London:

*Camden Market (open 7 days a week) was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. It is rich in history (stalls are set up all over the area in little alleys, under bridges and even "horse tunnel," which was formerly a horse stable) and bustling with bright colors and even more colorful characters. The cobblestone streets, pierced patrons and wide variety of items for sale (think handmade soaps, reclaimed jewelry and countless graphic t-shirts) made for a really superb day.

The vegan scene is alive and well here too which made me love it infinitely more. If you're ever there, be sure to pay a visit to vegetarian hotspot inSpiral Lounge right before Lock Market. It overlooks the pretty canal flanked by willow trees and the food is truly spectacular. Thinking about the cakes and milkshakes I didn't have a chance to try makes me want to snap my fingers and be back (I could really go for their iced coffee and big, hearty brunch right about now...)

*I liked Greenwich, but didn't love it. Found there wasn't much to see. Apparently time was invented there and I would have liked to learn more but didn't get to it. Oddly enough, my favorite part of the trip to Greenwich was the tube ride home! Passing above the countless quaint and cool developments along the Thames was interesting and enjoyable.

*Soho was cute. Made sense for me to go, but if I was here for fewer days I would have skipped it. Great veg food and smoothies. Definitely a quirky little area.

*Would recommend anyone in London only for few days SKIP Harrods. It's really highbrow and stuffy, and the shopping (unless you're miss/mister moneybags) isn't even that great. The famous food court was cool enough but inconvenient: I bought lunch only to be told there was nowhere within the store I could eat it. Thankfully, I found a quiet bus stop a short distance outside the premises. Not my cup of tea to say the least.

Harrods is where the public was introduced to the first ever escalator! People was so nervous to get on such a seemingly scary contraption - moving stairs - that once they reached the top, the brave few who gave it a go brandy (for the men) and smelling salts (for the women).

*Portobello Road (in Notting Hill) is really nothing to see on a weekday. Aside from the cute kiddies in Hogwarts-like uniforms and mummy friends catching up on gossip as they push matching strollers, in hindsight it was a bit of a waste of time.

*The Tate Modern was great. I'm really happy I got to it. Was the furthest thing from a stuffy, conventional art exhibit. The works were brilliant in pushing the envelope, questioning convention and exploring the notion that truth can be unearthed from dreams. The whole production really got my creative juices flowing and had me thinking outside the box (always a good thing).

Walking from the Tate Modern to Borough Market (the city's largest and most famous food market), down narrow streets and hidden alleyways, was beautiful. Had some good veggie grub from The Veggie Table and made my way back home, to pack and get a good night's sleep before my big day in Barcelona.

A few of my favourite French things (parting poem pour Paris)

Cars on slick city streets, motorcycle engines idling, local bands playing American covers at Manfred and patrons clapping along to the music.

Arts & Metiers, Chatelet, metro doors that don’t open automatically and the promise of possibility that overtook me at each new stop.

Ellene, Imane, Benjamin and Stephane, who showed me, even in a country that dislikes differences, how similar we all are; Bhuddist, Muslim, Jewish, or otherwise.

The owners of family-run Lebanese restaurants who kept me well fed and in good spirits, the lady at the Laundromat who helped me do my first load, and my unforgettable neighbour in the miniscule apartment one floor up – without her I would surely have been locked out for days, not hours.

SYMPA, ET VOILA, MARON and the many other French expressions I'll no longer have the pleasure of hearing on a daily basis.

Savoring every single fragrant bite of crepes with apple compote, fresh figs and vanilla lavender confections.

And most importantly, mon Coeur, Marie, with whom I now have memories to last a lifetime and a friendship plus fort que the French Empire.

PARIS: PART 2

Part deux already. How time flies.

Things continue to be fantastique but also very soggy L

On Thursday, Marie, Clare, and I went for lunch in the 8^th arrondissement (the city’s main business district). I got off at Charles-de-Gaule Etoile right in front of the Arche de Triomphe. Although lunch with my favourite ladies here was lovely, I found the area lacking in charm (the small chunk I saw anyway). The last of the independent retailers there have been bought out, so it’s all expensive restaurants offset by a handful of overpriced souvenir shops. Next time I go back, I’ll likely be paying a little visit to les Avenue des Champs-Élysées (a.k.a. the most beautiful Ave. in the world). Window shopping at its finest!

Saturday I met Marie in the Latin Quarter at the fountain outside of the St-Michel metro. I love the area – it is simultaneously charming and lively; enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. As luck would have it, “our people” were taking part in a massive protest against the shooting and burning of live animals as part of preparations for Eurofoot 2012. To learn more and/or to sign the petition, click here.

After a delicious Lebanese lunch, we went to a gem of a bookstore called Shakespeare and Company. While technically not the original (which opened in 1919, closed in 1941 during German occupation, and was an important place for the likes of Hemingway and Joyce) it functions as a sanctuary for writers, aspiring writers, and artists and has done so since its opening in 1951. To learn more, please visit the Shakespeare and Company website.

Packed like sardines alongside other curious-minded bookworms from across the globe, I made my way along the bushels of books – some with inscriptions from decades past, others written by contemporary left-wing theorists whose work you might be hard pressed to find elsewhere. Each nook and dusty cranny appeared all the more magical and mysterious bathed in the dim light of antique chandeliers and skirted by creaky old floors. I felt a newfound sense of strength as a writer, knowing from the best and the brightest to the most bashful of beginners, we all do the same thing when we translate the thoughts, feelings, or ideas in our heads onto paper (or typewriters, computers, or iPads).

Last (but not least - I loved this) we visited the Pont des Arts, which is teeming with sleek, often colourful “love locks.” Each one containins the names, messages, and/or wishes of lovers who threw the key into the Seine as a sign of their eternal love. It was fascinating and fun to imagine the people who those locks belong to and where they are now. Are Ben & James still together? Did Marita get sick leaving Jose a lonely widower? How many children do Fanny and Matthew now have?

It’s getting late now and I’d like to check out the Musée d'art et d'histoire du judaïsme just down the street before it closes. I hope that’s enough to keep you satiated and I promise to check back in again soon...

Biz,

E

Paris: Part 1

Apéritifs, kir, and the fresh scent of Marseille soap. Wrought iron, vine-laden windows, and walk-ups with rickety wooden stairs. Ballet flats and berets. Je ne sais quoi and joie de vivre. Unimaginably long lunches and even longer dinners. Et, naturellement, laughter and beaucoup des bissous.

Instead of “conquering,” like the French writer Victor Hugo I’ve come, I’m seeing, and I’m living. My plan, especially in Paris, is to be a part of the action and not simply a spectator of it.

Here’s a brief recap of what I’ve been up to my first few days here:

*I awoke from a fitful slumber on Sunday morning as my plane touched down onto rugged, lush terrain. Grey and dreary, but exciting nonetheless. Marie picked me up from Charles de Gaulle airport and from there we traveled to my apartment in Le Marais (3e arrondissement).

*My studio apartment is petite but in my opinion, parfait. Outfitted with simple sconces, 2 windows overlooking the street, and a kitchenette (more of a closet, really) that I can conveniently tuck away, I couldn’t be happier. The location is also ideal. I’m right at the corner of Rue du Temple and Rue de Bretagne, just a short distance from the Quartier (charming), Châtelet (convenient), and so much more.

*After getting settled, we went out to eat at a little café close to station République. Our fresh summer salads with couscous, accompanied by the most delectable baguette, was exactly what we needed.

*Next, we attended a fabulous little party in honour of the Queen’s Jubilee hosted by Marie’s English friend Claire. That was really fun, although more an introduction to British culture than French. The girls there were the picture of London lovely – all freckles, red hair, chiffon, and stockings. We noshed on cucumber sandwiches, cupcakes, mini pastries, and Pimms (a popular summertime gin-based British beverage, sangria-like in nature). The great company and fine food (and the Marks & Spencer napkins and tablecloth!) made for a very fine festivity.

*Yesterday Marie and I met up with her friend Stephen, who she used to work with several years back. We went to a fantastic creperie on a small cobblestone street overlooking a church. He turned out to be an interesting character who’s opening a spatter of high-end jam boutiques, La Chambre aux Confitures, around the city. If I’m here for the opening of the new location he promised to invite us. I’m crossing my fingers and toes that I am, as taste testing their delectable offerings  would surely be heaven on earth.

*Other than that, I’ve been settling in, getting over my jetlag and insomnia, and familiarizing myself with my new surroundings. Lots of walking and consequent blisters, but it’s all been well worth it. I look forward to venturing out a little more and hope it stops raining so I can spend some more time outside.

À bientôt j'espère,
E